OnePlus is not all about flagships anymore. This year, the Chinese giant released three affordable phones from the brand new Nord series: we are talking about the OnePlus Nord, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and the OnePlus Nord N100. After comparing the vanilla Nord with several handsets, it is the turn of the OnePlus Nord N10 5G: one of the most affordable 5G mid-rangers. And we could not avoid comparing it with other 5G mid-rangers released in the last period. We believe the best ones for such a comparison are the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite and the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G. Let’s discover who is better.
OnePlus Nord N10 5G vs Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite vs Samsung Galaxy A51 5G
| Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G | OnePlus Nord N10 5G | Samsung Galaxy A51 5G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 165.4 x 76.8 x 9 mm, 214.5 g | 163 x 74.7 x 9 mm, 190 grams | 158.9 x 73.6 x 8.7 mm, 187 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), IPS LCD | 6.49 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), 406 ppi, 20:9 ratio, IPS LCD | 6.5 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), 405 ppi, 20:9 ratio, Super AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G, octa-core 2.2 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G, octa-core 2 GHz | Samsung Exynos 980, octa-core 2.2 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, MIUI | Android 10, Oxygen OS | Android 10, One UI |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS |
| CAMERA | Quad 64 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP, f/1.9 + f/2.2 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 16 MP f/2.5 front camera |
Quad 64 + 8 MP + 5 + 2 MP f/1.8, f/2.3, f/2.4 and f/2.4 16 MP f/2.1 front camera |
Quad 48 + 12 + 5 + 5 MP f/2.0, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.2 32 MP f/2.2 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4820 mAh, fast charging 33W | 4300 mAh Fast charging 30W |
4500 mAh, Fast charging 15W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, 5G | Dual SIM slot, 5G | Dual SIM slot, 5G |
Design
The design of these phones is all but ugly and outdated. They are beautiful devices, but not as premium as flagships. I do not like the big and rectangle-shaped camera module of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite placed in the center. The Samsung Galaxy A51 5G looks more elegant with its centrally-placed punch-hole display, its less invasive camera module, and its sturdy aluminum frame, despite it lacks the glass back of the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite. The Samsung Galaxy A51 5G has a cleaner back than both its rivals. The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is entirely made of polycarbonate with the exception of the front panel, and it has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner: definitely not the best solution.
Display
My favorite display and the best one for most of the users out there belongs to the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G since it sports a Super AMOLED panel showing more brilliant colors and deeper blacks. Further, it has an in-display fingerprint reader. But despite all these qualities, someone (especially gamers) may prefer the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite due to its high 120 Hz refresh rate and the HDR10 certification, no matter if it is an IPS panel. The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite also offers a wider diagonal. The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is inferior to both with its average IPS 90 Hz display.
Hardware/Software
On the paper, the best hardware department belongs to the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G, despite it is not powered by a Snapdragon chipset. The Samsung Galaxy A51 5G is fueled by the Exynos 980 mobile platform paired with up to 8 GB of RAM and UFS 2.1 internal storage. With the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite which takes the second place, you get a Snapdragon 750G SoC paired with a max of 6 GB of RAM. You get just 6 GB of RAM with the OnePlus Nord N10 5G as well, but the chipset is the Snapdragon 690 5G. These handsets run Android 10 out of the box, but we already know that OnePlus Nord N10 5G will get just one major update.
Camera
If we talk about the rear cameras, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G is a more interesting camera phone, at least on paper. It has a 64 MP main sensor, an 8 MP ultrawide lens, a 5 MP depth sensor, and a 2 MP dedicated macro camera. But the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G actually comes with a better front camera with its 32 MP resolution. Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite is not a great camera phone, at least if we compare it to the other handsets of this comparison. It has a pretty nice main sensor, but the camera department is not as stunning as the OnePlus Nord N10 5G.
Battery
The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite sports the biggest battery and the fastest charging technology. But in several scenarios, the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G can reach a slightly longer battery life because its components are more efficient, including its AMOLED display with standard refresh rate and smaller diagonal.
Price
Thanks to online street prices, you can find all of these devices for less than €300/$300 in the global market. While we would discard the OnePlus Nord N10 5G due to its inferior display and hardware, it is a hard fight between Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite and Samsung Galaxy A51 5G. The former offers an AMOLED display and amazing hardware, while the latter has stereo speakers, 120 Hz, and a big battery with very fast charging. Maybe I would go for the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G.
OnePlus Nord N10 5G vs Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite vs Samsung Galaxy A51 5G: PRO and CONS
Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G
PROS
- More affordable
- IR blaster
- 120 Hz display
- Bigger battery
- Stereo speakers
CONS
- Dimensions
OnePlus Nord N10 5G
PROS
- Great rear cameras
- Stereo speakers
- Charges faster due to smaller battery
CONS
- Only one major update guaranteed
- Smaller battery
Samsung Galaxy A51 5G
PROS
- AMOLED display
- Great hardware
- Amazing front camera
- Aluminum frame
CONS
- Mono speaker
